Edward Marston - Railway to the Grave

‘Everyone must be presumed innocent until proved guilty.’

‘The colonel has been denied that right.’

‘Have you any idea who the killer is?’ asked Leeming.

Reader sighed. ‘I wish that I did, Sergeant. My wife and I both joined in the search for her. The colonel was distraught. Nobody who saw the state he was in could think for a moment that he committed the crime. His innocence must be attested.’

‘If she’s here,’ said Colbeck, ‘we’ll find her.’

‘I sincerely hope that you will.’

‘Before then, however, we have to make extensive enquiries. One of the people to whom I’d like to speak is your wife. She was, after all, the person Mrs Tarleton was on her way to see.’

‘Call at my home whenever you wish,’ urged Reader, taking out his wallet and extracting a card. ‘This is our address.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ said Colbeck, getting up to receive the card.

‘Agnes will be as eager to help you as I am, though you’ll find her in very low spirits. The Tarletons were good company. We spent so many happy times with them. We watched their children grow up and shared a number of family outings with them. Not to put too fine a point on it, they were our best friends.’

Leeming was curious. ‘Did they have any enemies?’

‘None at all – unless you count their son, that is.’

‘Was he really such a problem?’

‘His stepfather loathed him and his mother indulged him. He must have drunk and gambled his way through a small fortune. When the money dried up, Adam became angry and sent his mother the most abusive letters.’

‘You say that the money dried up,’ said Colbeck, seizing on the phrase. ‘We had the feeling that the family had run into financial difficulties. Is that true?’

Reader was wary. ‘Yes, it is, Inspector,’ he replied. ‘I can’t go into details without breaching confidentiality. Suffice it to say that the colonel and his wife had to draw in their horns a little.’

‘I’ll press you no further on the subject, sir. You’ve been very helpful. Now that we happen to be in town, we’ll avail ourselves of the opportunity to call on Mrs Reader.’ He signalled to Leeming who rose to his feet. The banker also got up. ‘Thank you, sir.’

‘I’d be grateful if you would keep me informed of any developments.’

‘We will, sir.’

‘Have you picked up any clues at all since you’ve been here?’

‘Oh, yes,’ said Colbeck. ‘At least, we have a starting point.’

‘And what’s that?’ asked Reader.

‘The railway.’

Clifford Everett’s office was on the top floor of the building, obliging Tallis to walk up three long flights of stairs. By the time he reached the top, he was panting. He took a few moments to recover before rapping on the door with his knuckles. In response to a crisp invitation, he went into the lawyer’s domain.

‘Good morning, Major Tallis,’ said Everett.

‘Actually, I’m here in a different guise today.’

‘In what way, pray?’

Tallis explained that he was employed by the Metropolitan Police Force and that a letter from the colonel had brought him to Yorkshire to unravel a mystery. Everett listened stonily. Years earlier, the two men had met more than once at social gatherings when Tallis was always introduced by his former rank. Everett had assumed that he was a retired army man. Hearing that he was, in fact, a detective made the lawyer defensive.

‘You misled us, Superintendent,’ he said.

‘I didn’t wish to court any embarrassment,’ Tallis told him. ‘Policemen are never popular. Everyone is suspicious of us. It was easier for me to pass myself off as an old soldier when I visited the colonel. That, in effect, was exactly what I was.’

‘I don’t accept that. You lied to us.’

Everett was a portly man in his fifties with a round, red face and a large head decorated by tufts of white hair. He had piggy eyes that lacked any sparkle and were constantly on the move. Gesturing his visitor to a chair, he resumed his seat behind the desk and clasped his hands tightly across his stomach.

‘So…you are not here merely as a friend,’ he observed.

‘I’m here to investigate a terrible crime.’

‘Are you referring to murder or to suicide?’

‘Both are interlinked,’ said Tallis. ‘In finding the killer, I’ll be absolving the colonel of any wrongdoing and bringing to justice the fiend who provoked a blameless man to take his own life.’

‘There are some who think the colonel was far from blameless.’

‘Are you one of them, Mr Everett?’

‘Heavens, no!’ exclaimed the other, hastily. ‘I take no sides in the matter.’

‘Well, you should, sir. As Colonel Tarleton’s lawyer, you should be protecting him from some of the vile accusations that are flying around. He paid you well for your services. Earn your keep.’

‘What am I supposed to do?’

‘To begin with, you can take legal action against those who are whispering vicious lies into the ears of journalists. Libel and slander are abroad, Mr Everett. Strike them down and show no quarter.’

‘Where am I to start, Superintendent? What you call slander is the general opinion. Go into any public house and you’ll find dozens of people convinced that the colonel murdered his wife. It’s the same elsewhere. How am I to take action against such overwhelming odds?’

‘By making an example of the worst offenders,’ said Tallis.

‘I can do nothing until the inquest is over tomorrow.’

‘Why should that delay you?’

‘Because it may throw more light on what actually happened,’ said Everett, raising his voice to hide the sound of subterranean gurgles from his stomach. ‘Evidence of all kinds will be introduced. After his body was discovered on the railway line, certain items were taken from the colonel’s house. They may not only tell us about his state of mind when he set out that day, they may also give us a fuller understanding of why his wife disappeared.’

Tallis was livid. ‘What are you expecting – a signed confession?’

‘It’s not beyond the bounds of possibility.’

‘You should be ashamed even to entertain such thoughts. Do you have no respect for the concept of loyalty to your clients?’

‘Of course I do,’ said Everett, indignantly.

‘When did you last see the colonel?’

‘It was about a week ago.’

‘And what brought him here?’

‘I’m not at liberty to divulge that, Superintendent. All that I can tell you is that our meeting had an elegiac feel to it.’

‘Are you saying that he was…taking his leave of you?’

‘That was how it felt.’

‘Given the way you’ve deserted him,’ said Tallis, hotly, ‘he should have taken his leave of you a lot earlier.’

Everett was on his feet. ‘I won’t have you casting aspersions on my professional competence,’ he said. ‘I served the colonel to the best of my ability for many years and I regret his passing. As a lawyer, I’m in an invidious position because I have his last will and testament in my safe. I promised to fulfil his wishes to the letter but I can hardly do that if the inquest rules that his goods and chattels are forfeit to the Crown. So you see, I have enough on my plate without your coming in here and insulting me.’

Tallis gave a gruff apology and Everett sat down again, only partially mollified. Prompted by Tallis, he gave an account of his dealings with the colonel in recent times and he spoke well of the dead man’s character. Since he also acted for Mrs Tarleton, he was able to talk about her occasional visits to his office in the preceding months.

‘Did they ever come here together?’ asked Tallis.

‘Once or twice,’ answered Everett. ‘Actually, I preferred it when it was a joint visit. The colonel could be a trifle short-tempered. You and he have that in common, Superintendent. When Mrs Tarleton was with him, he was always on his best behaviour.’